College football has a geographical problem, Cowherd says

The powers that be in college football are not widely dispersed.

Alabama, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, Clemson and Ohio State currently account for most of the national powerhouses in the sport, and each program is located in either the Southern or Eastern regions of the United States. That’s an incredibly bad thing for college football’s progress in Colin Cowherd’s eyes.

“College football is not in a good spot,” he said Wednesday on “The Herd“.

How USC could change the college football landscape

USC had a big splash in the transfer portal, highlighting Jordan Addison and Caleb Williams as their top transfers. Colin Cowherd analyzes how USC could change the college football landscape and shares his ideal powerhouse map.

Here are the teams who Cowherd believes need to be in the “viable” category for the betterment of the sport as a whole:

“Ideally, if I could pick seven teams to be really viable — and the sport would I think flourish — you’d have a flashy program for the Pacific Northwest to cover Idaho, Washington, Montana, Oregon, and that’s Oregon,” he said. “I’d have the biggest brand out West, and you’re in Los Angeles, the biggest city out West, USC. 

“I’d have Texas covered with the state school of Texas, UT. I’d have Michigan, which is right next to Detroit, and a 30-minute flight over to Chicago represented. Notre Dame [is] the biggest independent brand. I’d want Penn State to be big, because there are a ton of Penn State graduates all over Philadelphia, New York and Boston. I would then take Georgia, because it’s closest to Atlanta and a growing state. And then I would have the state of Florida represented by Miami because it’s the most glamorous brand and biggest media market.”

Cowherd was well aware of some notable omissions from his list. 

“I’m not saying Ohio State and other schools like Oklahoma wouldn’t be viable. But in a perfect world, to get more discussion — major and smaller market — you’d have L.A. touched, Texas, Georgia, Miami and then Michigan. That’d be perfect college football, and guess what: I’d talk about it more, talk shows would as well, and networks would dedicate more time to it. If you love college football, the current map outside of the South is not good for the sport. That’s why I’m for conference realignment.”

The skewed stature of the sport is not limited to the top seven, either. Not only was last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship played between two southern schools, 13 of the 16 representatives who’ve comprised the title game since the CFP’s inception have been in the Southeast. Furthermore, 13 schools in the final AP top 25 list of the 2021-22 campaign were southern as well.

Cowherd is adamant that his support of schools like Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC is not because of his hatred for the Crimson Tide, and that his lone desire is a fair and balanced dynamic between the nation’s top programs.

And while some may not believe his sentiments regarding Alabama and other traditionally dominant teams, his thoughts are undoubtedly thought-provoking. 

Could a spreading of the wealth among college football’s best be just what the sport needs?